Selective control device



oct. 2,1928 1,685,921

- L. L. LADD sELEcTvE CONTROL DEVICE Filed N0v 8' 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 2, 1928. 1,685,921

' L. L. LADD SELECTIVE CONTROL. DEVICE Filed No. 8.' 1920 2 sheets-sheet 2 //I\ l I I .swinging Patented Oct. 2, 1928. y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER Il. LADD, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PHOTOMETRIC ZPBODUCTS PORATION, OF CHICAGO,` ILLINOIS.

SELECTIVE CONTROL DEVICE.

`Application led November 8, 1920. Serial No. 422,581.

This invention relates to selective control devices, and more particularly to. a device wherein any desired mechanism may be selectively controlled by the position of a needle or arm.

The invention further relates lto a device wherein any desired mechanism may be se lectively controlled by the position of an indicating needle, adapted to-assume various positions in accordance with the variations of an electric current, they variations of the current being 1n accordance with the charac-y able teristics of the object-.s to be acted on by the mechanism cont-rolled by said device.

It is a purpose of the invention to provide a. control device, having a plurality of oppositely arranged contacts and a movable memberthat is adapted to bridge the gap between any pair of said contacts to complete a circuit to operate any desired mechanism in accordance with the selection of said control device, the selection being in accordance with the 'position of said movable member.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a control device having a plurality of oppositely arranged contacts and a swinging needle carrying a member operating be tween said contacts adapted to bridge the gap between them to complete a circuit to operate any desired devices in accordance with the selection of the control device, dependent upon the positio'n of said needle under the influence of the variations of a vari able electric current. y

It is a still further purpose of the invention o provide a device of the above mentioned character wherein one set of contacts is stationary and the other set of contacts is movtoward said stationary cont-acts, and wherein the needle loosely supports a contact member that is adapted to be pinched or clamped between said movable and fixed contacts to complete a circuit to operate certain devices in accordance with the selection of said control device as indicated' by said needle.

I t is also an object of the invention to provide a selective control device having oppositely arranged sets of contacts, the number of contacts of one set being a multiple of the number of contacts of the other set, whereby the number of selections of the' device is multiplied without unnecessary multiplication struct said device as to multiply said selec i tions without unnecessarily multiplying said electro-magnets.

oon-

It is another object of the invention to prof v ide a selective control device operating a lurality of sets of actuating devices, wherey said selections can be greatly multiplied without unnecessarily multiplying the actuating devices.

It is another object ot the invention to so construct the selective control device as to provide for a large number of small, closely arranged contacts, selections can be obtained for a small throw of the needle, and to so construct said device as to avoid sparking at said contacts.

Other objects`and advantages of the invention will appear as the description of the accompanying drawings, showing one form that my invention may take, proceeds. However, I- desire to have it distinctly understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details of structure shown in the accompanying drawings or described in the specification but desire to include as part of my invention all such obvious modifications and changes in structure as would occur to a person skilled in this art and as would fall within the scope of the claims.

In the drawings: y

Fig. l is a plan view of the selector embodied in the present invention;

so that a large number of4 Fig. 2 is a section thereof taken on the line l rangement. of the contacts and electro-magnets operated by said selector.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the improved selective control device comprises the casing 7 having the base portion 8 and a removable cover comprising the glass plate 9 and the holding ring 10. Mounted in 'the casing 7 is an indicating instrument preterably an electrical indicating instrument that is operated by the variations in an electric current passing through the same, said instrument comprising a fixed magnet having the poles 11 and a core 12 mounted between said poles 11 secured by means ot the pins or screws 13 to the plate 14 suitably carried in the casing. The poles 11 are suitably supported by means of the plates 15 mounted in the casing. Mounted to turn on the pivots 16 suitably journaled in the bearings 17 mounted in any suitable manner as by means of the plates 18 in the casing 7 is the coil 19 having the leads 2O and 21 extending therefrom to the binding screws 22 and 23 respectively, the magnets. binding screws and coil being suitably insulated from the casing or body portion 7 of the selective control device.'

Secured to arms 24 on the supporting struc- Ature for the coil are the outer ends of coil springs 25, the inner ends of which are suitably secured to the -coil 19 and tend to move the'indicating member or needle 26, which is mounted to turn with the coil, to the position indicated in Fig. 1, and when a current is passing through the coil 19 this current will tend to swing the coil in a direction such that it will act against the tension of the spring and the needle 26 will move clockwise. rl`he parts just described operate on the order of an ordinary ammeter 'and the position of the needle 26 will depend upon the strength of the current oing through the coil 19. The indication of ihe needle or the position assumed thereby when a certain current passes through the coil 19, is utilized to operate certain devices in accordance with said position of the needle. While the indicating instrulment is shown in the present instance as being an electrical indicating instrument, it will be obvious that the mechanism that is to be described that depends in its operation upon the position of the indicating needle would operate in the same way if the needle were an indicating member of an indicating instrument of any other kind. No matter what the nature of the indicating instrument is, the needle 26 is provided with a hook-like end portion 27 suitably closed by means of a spring or other closure member 28 with which is loosely engaged the eye 29 on a contact member 30, the contact member 30 being free to swing tothe right or left as shown in Fig. 2, but due to the construction of the eye 29 and the hook 27 the same will remain substanti ally in alignment with the needle transversely thereof, or in a vertical direction, as

neras by means of the screws 32 on the members 15. The supporting member 31 has mounted thereon at the forward portion thereof, which is slightly depressed below the main body portion of the member 31, a plurality of fixed contacts 33. Openings -34 are provided in the member 31 through which the leads 35 extend, there being one of said leads 35 for each ot' the contact members 33. The leads 35 pass downwardly through the bottom of the instrument to suitable operating devices for operating certain mechanism that is not shown. The opposite set or series of contacts is mounted on a plate or block of insulating material 36, which has secured thereto guide rods 37 which pass through guide members 38 mounted on the casing 7, and which have secured thereto by means of a Set screw the fixed collars 39, th'e member 36 with its contacts being movable as a unit toward and away from the member 31.

Mounted to slide on the rods 37 is the yoke 40 which is provided with eyes 41 and 42 connected by means of the bight portions 43, which areadapted to receive the guide rods 37. Mounted between the collars 39 and the portions 41 of the yoke 40 are the coil springs 44 which are adapted to be compressed when the yoke 40 is moved toward the body of the instrument. The ends of the guide members 38 are adapted to be engaged by the portions 42 of the yoke after the same have moved through a certain distance. lThe yoke 4() is actuated by means of the rod 45, which is periodically operated by mechanism that is not shown. The rod 45 is guided through thecylindrical guide member 46 provided on the bracket 47 secured at 48 to the casing 7, and is also guided through the bushing 49 provided in the casing 7. The yoke 40 is provided with a boss 50 through which the rod 45 passes, and to which the same is secured by means of a set screw 51. Mounted between the boss 50 and the bushing 49 is the coil spring 52. The operation'of the parts just described is as ollows':

When the rod or wire 45 is operated so as to move from the right to the lett as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the coil spring 52 is compressed between the members 49 and 50, and the yoke 40 is moved toward the left compressing tlre springs 44 on the rods 37, and after these have been compressed to a certain extent the pressure of the springs against 54, 55 and 56. vided with the collars 39 will cause the rods 37 to travel with the oke 40 toward the left. The'movement of t e yoke is limited'by the contacting of the member 42 with the end of the member 38. The parts will be held in this position as long as the force exerted on the rod or wire,45 acts in the direction from right to left. When the force exerted on the wire is removed, the spring 52 and the springs 44 will tend to return the parts to their normal position, and theboss'53 on the member 46 will-limit the movement of the yoke 40 toward lthe right.

Mounted in a recess in the member 36 and suitably insulated from each other, as will be clear from Fig. 2, are the contact plates The contact plate 54 is procontact members 5 7 extending toward the contacts and spaced equi-distantly along the edge of, the late 54. The contact plate 55 is providedp in a similar manner with the contact members 58 and the plate 56 with the contact members 59.

' Upon referring to Fig. 5 it will be seen that 1 contact plate 56. Each of the the extreme endportionsof the contact members 57,58 and 59 are arranged in alignment and lie in the same plane as the central contact plates is provided with a suitable lead extending to suitable operating mechainsm for o ating a mechanism that is not shown 1n the drawin The operation of theinstrument is as flows:

An object that is to be operated on by the selectively control mechanism is manipulated so as to produce a certain current elect in the circuit of which the coil 19 is a part, thus causing a certain indicationby the needle 26, the needle 26 moving to a certain defined osition' between the sets of contacts 35 and 45 58 and 59 depending upon the-eiect produced on the instrument by the object referred to. The rod or wire 45 is actuated after the needle has had time to come to rest ink its proper position by means of certain mechanism that is not shown, so as to move the movable'contact carrying member 36 toward the fixed contact carrying member 31, so as to clamp the contact member 30 carried by the needle 26 between certain of the contacts mounted on the fixed and `movable contact carrying members, the particular contacts between which the member 30 is pinched or clamped being dependent upon the position of the needle and directly related to the effect produced by the object above. referred to on v the indicating instrument of which the needle 1s a part. The parts are held in this position under a spring pressure for a certain length of time during which an operating circuit is mechanically closed ina manner that is not shown.' so that a'current will pass through the lead 35 associated with the particular contact 33, with which the contact member 30 is then engaged, through the contact member 30 and through one of they contacts 57, 58 or 59, and through the lead associated with the contact plate'of which the particularl contact member 57, 58 or 59 is a part, to actuate certain operatin means that are associated with the particu ar leads just described, so as to selectively control the operation of mechanismthat is to o crate on the object that has been used to infihence the indicating instrument. After these devices have been operated, the operating circuit is again mechanically opened, after which the pressure on the 4rod or wire 45 is released to allow the separation of the contacts and the release of the contact'member 30, after which another object may be brought up to again effect the instrument and operate the various devices above referred to in a manner corresponding to the effect produced on the instrument by that particular object.

Referring to the diagram shown in Fig. 6, the operating circuit comprises the wines 6l and 62 leading from any suitable source of current, in one of which is provided the switch 63, which may be assumed as being themeansv for mechanically opening and closing the circuit just referred to. In the diagram shown in Fig. 6 only two contacts 33 are shown and only two of each of the contacts 57, 58 and 59. In'the instrumentdescribed above, there are only two different arrangements of contacts, although a much larger num r of contacts is shown. InFig. 6 the wire 6 64 and 65, the branch 64 having 'an electromagnet 66 in circuit therewith. If in the ar rangement shown in Fig. 6 the contact making member30 were ina position opposite a, Contact 33, with which the electro-magnet 66 is associated, and opposite one of the contacts 57 58 or 59 when 'the circuit is closed by means of the switch 63, the electro-magnet 66 associatedwith the branch 64 will be actuated so as to operateany suitable mechanism asso# ciated therewith. At the same time certain other mechanismk will be operated to vary orl modify the operation of the mechanism set in motion through the actuation of the electro-magnet 66 depending upon the position of the member 30 relative to the contacts 57 58 and 59.

It will be noted that4 in the diagram the contact 57 is shown as having a lead 67 connected thereto, which lead is a branch of.

is shownA as having the branches l them and the fixed contacts, and the circuit is -closed by means of the' switch 63, the current will pass through the leads 64 and 67 and only the electro-magnet 66 will be elected thereby, thus the elect produced on the mechanism will be solely dependent upon the operation of the e1ectro-magnet-66 and' any positive operating devices that may be set in operation when the electro-magnets 7 0 and 71 are not being operated. 1t the contact member 30 is located between a contact 58 and the contact 33, the electro-magnets 66 and will be both set in operation by the current passing through the same, and the edect produced on the mechanism controlled thereby will be the combined eltect of these two electro-magnets. 1n a similar way it the Contact member 30 were located between the contact 33 shown in the lett of Fig. 6, and the contact 59 associated therewith, the electro-magnets 66 and 71 would be operated to etect the operation ot the mechanism by the combined eect of the devices actuated thereby. 1t will thus be seen that tor each contact 33 and magnet 66 associated therewith, a certain operation ot the controlled mechanism can be produced, and that by the plurality ot contacts associated with each contact 33 the selections oit operations that can be obtained by the electro-magnet 66 can be multipiied the same number of: times as there are contact members associated with each contact member 33, in the present inst-ance there being three. it is not necessary that all ot the contacts 33 have an electro-magnet 66 associated therewith as a lead 65 can be provided that does not have an electro-magnet 66 in series therewith. 1nstead ot providingV for electro-magnetically operated control means in this instance mechanical or positively acting means can be provided which can be mdilied by the operation of the devices controlled by the electromagnets 7 0 and- 71 in the manner described for a contact 33 with which an electro-magnet 66 is associated. 1n this instance, however, it is not necessary to connect the contact member 57 electrically with the lead 62, as if this were done it would merely act to short circuit the device without producing any desirable result, as to lead the current through the members 6? would produce the same result' on the operating 'mechanism as to not have any current passing therethrough. 1n other words, the contact member 57 is positively operated and when the contact member 30 is in position to bridge the gap between the member 33 and the member 57 associated therewith, no operation of electrical devices takes place, but the mechanism is merely operated mechanically. This has been found to be of advantage in providing a positively operating mechanism that can be selected by the instrument, and which will also operate in case the instrument does not mamar properly loperate so that the object that is eecting the instrument at the time that it fails to operate or which does not produce any elect on the instrument due to its inherent qualities, may be discharged from the mechanism which operates upon objects that fall within the range of the selective control devices. By providing this discharge position any article that would not effect the selective control device is prevented from remaining in the mechanism controlled thereby, and interfere with the operation of the same.

While the device just described may be used for selectively controlling any mechanism, it has been found to be of particular advantage in selectively controlling1 a sort-ing mechanism, such as is described in my copending application Serial No. fH9648, tiled Oct. 27, 1929, Patent #1,396,221, dated Nov. 8, 1921, in which the indicating instrument is operated by means ot an amplilied current, the variations in which are produced due' to the eect on a photo electric'cell ot the objects that are to be sorted;

From the above it will be seen that a selective control device has been provided that is compact, and that can lproduce a very large number of selections without an undue multiplication of the actuating devices, which in the present case are shown as being electromagnets, and that a device is provided that is positively operating and that is so constructed that the current will not pass through the small contacts ot the instrument until the same have been positively brought together so that no sparking or arcing will occur at these contacts, thus preventing damage to the contact points in this manner.

Having thus described my invention what 1 desire to claim and secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. A selective control device comprising a controlling circuit, a set of contacts, a p urality of operating circuits electrically connected therewith, a second set of contacts arranged opposite said first set, a plurality of operating circuits electrically connected therewith, electro-magnets in certain of said operating circuits of each set, certain of said circuits having no electro-magnets therein and a movable contact making member operating between said sets of contacts and adapted to co-operate with any opposite pair of said contacts to serially connect an operating circuit associated with one of said sets of contacts with an operating circuit associated with the other of said sets of contacts to throw either two of said electro-magnets into operation simultaneously or one of said electro-magnets singly.

2. A. device for selectively controlling the simultaneous operation of a plurality of electro-magnetic devices comprising a plurality ofoperating circuits certain of said circuits each serially including one of saidv devices, said circuits being arranged in two sets the circuits of each set being connected in parallel, and means for selectively serially connecting any one of the circuits of one'of said sets-With any one of the circuits of the other of said sets, comprising a set of contacts formingthe terminals of one of said sets of circuits, a set of contacts forming the terminals of the other set arranged opposite said first set of contacts, and a movable contact member adapted to bridge the gap between opposite pairs of said contacts to connect any one circuit of one set with any one circuit of the other set to simultaneously energize a pair of said devices said pair comprising a device associated with each of said sets of contacts.

' 3. A selective control device comprising an indicating instrument, having an indicating member, a contact making member loosely hung from said indicating member, oppositely arrangedsets of contacts, said contact making member operating between said sets of contacts, and means for moving said contact making member into a position therebetween in accordance'with the indications of said instrument.

needle, suspended from the end portion of said ytacts forming ,y sets of circuits,

4. A selective control device comprising an indicating instrument, having an indicating a contact making member pivotally needle, oppositely arranged sets of contacts, said contact ma ring member o erating between said sets of contacts, an 'means for moving said contact making member into a position therebetween in accordance with the indications of said instrument.

5. A selective-control device comprising an indicating instrument, having Van indicating member moving in a plane, a contact making m'ember movably mounted on said indicating member, oppositely arranged sets of contacts, one of said sets of contacts being movable toward the other set parallel to said plane, said contact making member operating between said sets of contacts, and means for moving said contact making member into a position therebetween in accordance with the indications of said instrument.

6. A device for selectively controlling the simultaneous operation of a lurality of electro-magnets comprising a p urality ofoperating circuits, certain of said circuits each serially including one of said electro-mag nets, said circuits being arranged in two sets, the circuits of each set being connected in parallel and means for selectively serially connecting any one of the circuits of one of said sets with any one of the circuits of the other of said sets, comprising a set of conthe terminals of one of said a set of contacts forming the terminals of the other set arranged opposite said first set of contacts, and av movable contact member adapted to bridge the gap between opposite pairs of said contacts to connect any one circuit of one set with an one circuit of the other set to simultaneous y selectively energize a pair of said electromagnets.

7. A permutative selector comprising a source of electric current, a pair of conductors leading from said source of current, one of said conductors having aplurality ofbranches connected therewith, each of said branches terminating in a contact member, saidcontact members being arranged in a single progressive series the other of said conductors having -a plurality of branches, a plurality of contacts opposite said first mentioned contacts, said contacts being arranged in repeating sets, one of said sets being opposite each of said first mentioned contacts and the contacts in each set being correspondingly arranged in a series progressing in the same direct-ion as said first series and the corresponding contacts of alll the sets being connected to the same branches of said second conductor, and a movable contact member adapted to bridge the gap between any opposed lpair of said contacts to serially connect any one of said first branches with any one of said second branches.

8. The combination with a series of devices for operating on a succession of objects in accordance with a varying characteristic thereof, of a selective control device for said devices, comprising a series of operating contacts progressing in a given direction and each associated with one of said devices, a movable contact making member adapted to move progressively along said series and assume various positions relative to said series of contacts, a second set of operating contacts comprising a plurality of repeating series of contacts, each of said last series ofcontacts being arranged so as to progress in the same direction as said first series and means for moving said movable Contact making member into a position with relation to said operating contacts dependent upon the characteristic of each of said objects.

9. The combination with a series of devices for operating on a succession of objects in accordance with a varying characteristic thereof, of a selective control device for said demoving said movable contact making member into a position with relation to said operating contacts to bridge an opposite pair thereof dependent upon the characteristic of each of said objects. A

l0. A control device comprising a plurality of spaced oppositely arranged sets of contacts, and a movable member adapted to selectively bridge the gap between pairs of said contacts, whereby controlled mechanism is operated in accordance with the selection of said control device, the number ot contacts of one set being a multiple of the number of contacts of the other set and being arranged in groups opposite said other set, said groups being all duplicates in both number and progressive arrangement to multiply the selections of said other set.

ll. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable pointer, and means :tor selectively functioning in accordance with the dierent positions occupied by said pointer,

said means including a contact element loosely carried by said pointer.

l2, A selective control device comprising a member swingable on an axis, spaced rows of contacts arranged concentrically relative t0 said axis and a movable contact member pivotally carried by said swingable member and extending between said rows of contacts substantially parallel to said axis.

13. A selective control device comprising a member swingable on an axis, spaced rows of contacts arranged concentrically relative to said axis and a movable contact member pivotally carried by said swingable member and extending between said rows of contacts substantially parallel to said axis, one of said rows of contacts being movable toward and away from saidother row substantially longi- 40 tudinallyof said swingable member.

lin witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of November', A. D., 1920.

LESTER L. LADD. 

